Royal Oak asking for tax increase to fix city's roads

Ballot proposal asks for $2.5M

ROYAL OAK, Mich. - The city of Royal Oak is preparing to ask voters for $2.5 million to fix the city's roads.

If voters approve the move it would raise the tax about $5 million per year for 10 years in order to raise money to maintain and repair the city's more than 200 miles of roads.

In part of a letter sent to members of the city commission, City Manager Donald Johnson wrote the following about the proposal:

"I'm convinced a new road tax is only way we'll be able to correct the horrendous conditions of our streets, roadways and right-of-ways. I really do not expect the state legislature to offer a solution that will allow us to improve local streets. They very well may increase the fuel tax and/or the registration tax and allocate more money to highways and major roadways but I think they are very unlikely to provide the amount of revenue increase we need to be able to address local streets as well."

To view an online version of the city council's agenda for Monday, click here.

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